Grand Prix of Edmonton continues its growth with Rexall/Katz Group as lead sponsor Edmonton, June 27, 2007 -” This is a great day for Edmonton. Together with Rexall we are putting on a world-class event for the people of this city and province, as well as millions of racing fans around the world. ” With those words Jim Haskins, President of the Grand Prix of Edmonton, announced today that it has signed Rexall/Katz Group, Canada” s largest drug store network of companies, as this year” s lead sponsor for the premier motorsport race in the city and the province.
” A Champ Car World Series event like the Grand Prix of Edmonton requires strong support and commitment from the business community, and there isn” t a stronger or more committed lead sponsor in Edmonton than the Rexall/Katz Group, ” Haskins said. Daryl Katz, Chairman of the Edmonton-based Katz Group Inc. said, ” When the Grand Prix of Edmonton offered us the lead sponsorship opportunity, we were pleased to accept. It will be a great showcase for Rexall and more importantly, it will be a great showcase for our city. “
“The Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton will continue to grow steadily and strongly in stature and importance with this new alliance. The event has always been one of the strongest in the World Series and an association with a major corporation such as Katz Group is guaranteed to have a significant, positive impact on this international autosport series, ” says Steve Johnson, President of Champ Car. Haskins added, ” The announcement that a major Canadian company like Katz Group has come to the Champ Car World Series as a sponsor is truly appropriate in the days immediately following the exciting victory by Canadian Paul Tracy in last Sunday” s Cleveland Grand Prix—the fifth on the 2007 schedule, with the Mont Tremblant and Toronto events next in line, followed by our event July 20-22 here in Edmonton. “
The Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton—now with Rexall as lead sponsor—will be held at the Edmonton City Centre Airport. The event directly employs over 450 people and provides an estimated $27 million in economic benefit to the city and province, of which $20 million accrues directly to the Edmonton region. Edmonton is the only western Canadian city, and with Mont Tremblant, Quebec and Toronto is one of only three locations in Canada, to host a Champ Car World Series autoracing race event this year.
In the United States the circuit includes eight cities: Las Vegas, Nevada; Long Beach, California; Houston, Texas; Portland, Oregon; Cleveland, Ohio; San Jose, California; Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and Phoenix, Arizona. Other cities on the circuit are Mexico City, Mexico; Zhuhai, China; Gold Coast-Surfer” s Paradise, Australia; Assen, Holland and Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. Attendance for the 2005 and 2006 Grand Prix of Edmonton events averaged over 185,000.
This year” s event will be broadcast live across Canada by Global Television and around the world by ESPN, providing Edmonton with exposure to a potential viewing audience of 500 million. About Katz Group Inc. Established in 1990, Edmonton-based Katz Group is one of Canada’s largest privately owned companies, among the largest chain drug store companies in North America, and the largest pharmacy retail network in Canada.
Encompassing more than 1,800 pharmacies, the Katz Group banner network employs more than 15,000 people in Canada and the United States, with system sales exceeding $6.5 billion. Pharmacy banners include Rexall, Pharma Plus, The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, Guardian, I.D. A., and Herbies/Payless pharmacies in Canada, and Snyders Drug Stores in the U. S. Katz Group also owns Drug Trading Company Limited, ProPharm Limited, and Meditrust Pharmacy, Canada’s largest mail-order pharmacy. Rexall Brand is Katz Group’s exclusive private label brand, available in all Katz Group banner pharmacies in Canada. ” Rexall family of pharmacies” is Katz Group’s umbrella brand uniting Katz Group” s core banner pharmacies in Canada under one nationally recognized symbol of excellence in pharmacy care.
